Scheduling the recording of television programs

ABSTRACT

A television receiving system displays an advertisement for a future television program. If the future television program is identified as recordable, the system also displays an option to set a reminder for the advertised program and/or an option to record the advertised program on a video recorder. If a viewer of the advertisement selects the reminder option, then a reminder is programmed in the system. If the viewer selects the record option, then the system automatically programs the video recorder to record the advertised program. If the viewer has established an interactive session during a television advertisement, and has not completed the interactive session when the advertisement ends, then the current television program is paused until the interactive session is completed.

RELATED CASES

This application claims priority as a divisional of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/441,708, filed Nov. 16, 1999, and titled“Scheduling the Recording of Television Programs”, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to television systems that schedule futuretelevision programs for recording at the viewer's request. Thetelevision systems can also pause a television program to allow a viewerto finish entering data during an interactive session.

BACKGROUND

Various systems are available for recording a television program. Forexample, video cassette recorders (VCRs) allow a user to record andplayback television programs. The user of the VCR may watch thetelevision program while it's being recorded and save the recordedprogram for future viewing. Alternatively, the VCR user may program theVCR to record a television program while the user is away or watching adifferent television program. The recorded program is then viewed at alater time.

Another type of video recording device is a digital video recorder(DVR). A DVR may also be referred to as a personal video recorder or apersonal television server. A DVR records television programs on a diskdrive (or other random access storage device) instead of a video tape.Typically the disk drive is not removable from the recorder and providesgreater storage capacity than a conventional video tape. For example, avideo tape may provide six hours of storage capacity while a DVR mayprovide twenty or more hours of storage capacity. The DVR can read fromand write to any portion of the disk drive in a random manner. Thiscapability allows the DVR to record one television program whilesimultaneously reading a recorded television program. Additionally, theDVR allows a user to begin viewing a recorded program while the programis still being recorded. For example, the viewer may program the DVR torecord a particular television program that is one hour in length.Twenty minutes after the program has started, the viewer begins watchingthe recorded program from the beginning. While the viewer is watchingthe beginning of the program, the DVR continues recording the remainderof the program.

Many television programs include commercials that advertise variousproducts and services, including other television programs. Typically,an advertised television program is scheduled for broadcast at a futuretime. If the viewer of the advertised television program wants to watchor record the television program, they need to remember the date, time,and channel of the television program or set a recording device, such asa VCR or a DVR, to record the television program. When programming adevice to record the television program, the viewer needs to remember(or make a written note of) the date, time, channel, and duration of thetelevision program to properly program the recorder. Although a viewerwants to watch an advertised television program, they may forget whenthe program is scheduled to be broadcast or may forget to program theirrecorder, thereby missing the program.

Existing systems, such as VCR Plus+® allow a viewer to enter aparticular program code that corresponds to a particular televisionprogram. The program code identifies the date, time, and televisionchannel associated with the particular television program. Program codesmay be obtained, for example, from a television program guide or othertelevision program listing. Although this system simplifies the VCRprogramming process, the viewer must first locate the appropriateprogram code and enter the program code into the VCR. If the viewerforgets to enter the program code or accidentally enters the wrongprogram code, the desired television program will not be recorded.

In an interactive television system, the television viewer is able tointeract with the television broadcasting system by participating inpolls, playing along with game shows, or requesting information fromadvertisers. In certain situations, the responses provided by the viewermay disrupt the viewer's enjoyment of the television program. Forexample, the viewer of a television program may desire additionalinformation regarding a product advertised in a commercial. The viewerrequests additional information by pressing an appropriate button on aremote control device or on the interactive television device. Inresponse to the viewer's request for additional information, thebroadcasting system may request information from the viewer, such asname, address, email address, telephone number, and the specific type ofinformation desired. While the viewer is providing the requestedinformation (e.g., by typing or otherwise entering data into theinteractive television system), the commercial may end and thebroadcasting system resumes broadcasting the television program. At thispoint, the viewer must either continue entering data and miss a portionof the television program or abandon the request for information fromthe advertiser and continue watching the television program.

The present invention addresses the shortcomings discussed above byautomatically recording television programs or automatically programminga reminder. The above problems are also addressed by allowing a viewerto pause a television program to allow the viewer to finish enteringdata during an interactive session.

SUMMARY

The television system described herein provides an option to the viewerto automatically program a video recorder to record the advertisedprogram. Thus, the viewer need not remember the date, time, or channelof the advertised program. Similarly, a reminder may be programmedautomatically to remind the viewer when the advertised program is aboutto begin. The television system also prevents a viewer involved in aninteractive session during a commercial from missing a televisionprogram if the interactive session lasts longer than the commercial.

An embodiment of the television system displays an advertisement for afuture television program and displays an option to record theadvertised television program if the future television program isidentified as recordable. A record operation is programmed on a videorecorder if a viewer selects the option to record the advertisedtelevision program.

Another embodiment of the television system displays an advertisementfor a future television program and displays an option to set a reminderfor the advertised television program. A reminder operation isprogrammed if the viewer selects the option to set a reminder for theadvertised television program.

Particular embodiments of the television system decode informationassociated with the advertised program from a television signalcontaining the advertised television program.

In one embodiment of the television system, the displayed option isremoved after a predetermined period of time.

In another embodiment of the television system, the displayed option isremoved at the end of the advertisement.

An implementation of the television system offers to establish aninteractive session with a viewer of the current television programduring a television advertisement. If the viewer establishes aninteractive session and has not completed the session when thetelevision advertisement ends, then the current television program isnot displayed. Instead, the current television program is recorded on avideo recorder. When the viewer completes the interactive session, therecorded television program is played from the video recorder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment in which atelevision receiving system transmits and receives data across theInternet and receives television signals from a television broadcastsource.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a television receiving system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a receiver capable of receiving televisionsignals and network data and generating video signals for display on atelevision.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure that allows atelevision viewer to program a video recorder to record an advertisedtelevision program at a future time.

FIG. 5A illustrates an advertisement for a television program before andafter a prompt is displayed to the television viewer.

FIG. 5B illustrates an advertisement for a television program with analternate prompt.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for pausing atelevision program.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The television system described herein provides an option to the viewerof an advertisement for a future television program to automaticallyprogram a video recorder to record the advertised program. Thetelevision system also allows the viewer of the advertisement to set areminder associated with the advertised program. Additionally, thetelevision system pauses a television program, if necessary, to allow aviewer to finish entering data during an interactive session.

Various examples and embodiments are described herein with reference totelevision programs. However, the systems and procedures describedherein can be used with any type of video segment and are not limited totelevision programs.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment 100 in which atelevision receiving system transmits and receives data across theInternet 110 and receives television signals from a television broadcastsource 112. A client 102, servers 104 and 106, and television receivingsystem 108 are coupled to one another through the Internet 110.Television receiving system 108 is capable of receiving various types ofdata from one or more devices coupled to the Internet 110. Televisionreceiving system 108 is also coupled to television broadcast source 112,which broadcasts television signals. Television receiving system 108 mayreceive television signals from source 112 via cable, satellite,microwave, computer network, terrestrial (over the air) broadcast, orany other communication medium. Although not shown in FIG. 1, televisionbroadcast source 112 may have an associated server or other devicecoupled to the Internet 110, which allows the source 112 to broadcasttelevision signals via one medium (e.g., cable) and transmit other datarelated to the television broadcast via the Internet 110. Alternatively,television broadcast source 112 may transmit television signals as wellas other data related to the television signals via the Internet 110.

Television receiving system 108 is also coupled to a video recorder 114.Video recorder 114 may be any type of recording device capable ofrecording television signals onto a recordable medium. For example,video recorder 114 can be a VCR or a digital video recorder (DVR). A DVRrecords television programs or other information onto a disk drive orother random access storage device instead of a video tape. The DVR canread from and write to any portion of the disk drive in a random manner.This feature allows the DVR to record one television program whilesimultaneously reading a recorded television program. A DVR may also bereferred to as a personal video recorder or a personal televisionserver.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the television receiving system 108.A receiver 200, such as a set-top box, receives a broadcast televisionsignal 206 from a television broadcast source (such as source 112 inFIG. 1). The receiver 200 communicates data bi-directionally on a datacommunication link 212. Data communication link 212 may use any type ofcommunication medium and any communication protocol. In a particularembodiment, data communication link 212 is a telephone line thatprovides a data connection to the Internet or another data communicationnetwork. Receiver 200 is coupled to a DVR 204, which stores televisionsignals and other data. Receiver 200 is also coupled to a television 202via a video communication link 208. Video communication link may be aradio frequency (RF), s-video, composite video, component video, orother video link. Television 202 may be any type of display device orprojection device using any type of display or projection technology,including projection display systems and flat panel displays. Receiver200 receives broadcast television signal 206 and displays the receivedsignal on television 202 and/or stores the received signal on DVR 204.Alternatively, receiver 200 may receive television signals via datacommunication link 212. Furthermore, additional information associatedwith the received television signal may be received and/or transmittedon data communication link 212. Although receiver 200, television 202,and DVR 204 are shown in FIG. 2 as separate devices, any two or more ofthese devices may be combined into a single device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the receiver 200 shown in FIG. 2. Asdiscussed above, receiver 200 is capable of receiving television signalsand network data and generating video signals for display on atelevision. Additionally, the receiver 200 can be used, for example, toperform various procedures necessary to record and play back televisionprograms and allow a viewer to interact with the source of a televisionbroadcast (e.g., via a data communication network). Receiver 200includes a television interface 224, such as a television tuner, whichreceives the broadcast television signal 206 from a television broadcastsource. A data interface 226 transmits and receives data acrosscommunication link 212, which is typically coupled to a datacommunication network such as the Internet. Data interface 226 typicallyincludes a modem or other bi-directional data communication device.Receiver 200 also includes a recorder interface 228, which communicateswith one or more video recorders, such as DVR 204 shown in FIG. 2, viacommunication link 210.

Receiver 200 includes one or more processors 230, a random access memory(RAM) 232, a read-only memory (ROM) 234, and a mass storage device 236.Processor 230 is capable of implementing the various procedures andoperations discussed herein. RAM 232 and mass storage device 236 providefor the storage of data, instructions, and other information used byprocessor 230 during the normal operation of receiver 200. ROM 234stores various parameters and basic operating instructions used, forexample, by processor 230.

An audio interface 238 communicates audio data across an audiocommunication link 220. Similarly, a video interface 240 communicatesvideo data across a video communication link 222. In a particularembodiment, audio interface 238 and video interface 240 are combinedinto a single audio/video interface which communicates audio and videoinformation across an audio/video communication link. Although not shownin FIG. 3, receiver 200 may also include a remote control interface thatallows a television viewer to control the functions of the receiverusing a handheld remote control device.

Generally, the processor 230 of receiver 200 is programmed by means ofinstructions stored at different times in various computer-readablestorage media of the receiver, such as RAM 232 and mass storage 236. Thesystem described herein includes various types of computer-readablestorage media when such media contains instructions or programs forimplementing the steps described herein in conjunction with a processor.The system also includes the receiver itself when programmed accordingto the methods and techniques described herein. Alternatively, thesesystems can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware,software, and/or firmware. For example, one or more application specificintegrated circuits (ASICs) could be programmed to carry out the systemsand procedures discussed herein.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure that allows atelevision viewer to program a video recorder to record an advertisedtelevision program at a future time. A television broadcast sourcebroadcasts an advertisement for a future television program (step 250).For example, during a broadcast of a first television program (thecurrent television program), an advertisement is broadcast for adifferent television program that will be broadcast the followingevening. The advertised program may be broadcast on the same televisionchannel or on a different channel than the current television program.Additionally, the advertised program may be broadcast at multiple times(for example, a television program having multiple parts). If theadvertised television program is recordable (i.e., information necessaryto record the program, such as the date and time of the program, isencoded in the signal containing the advertisement) then the televisionbroadcast source transmits an indicator identifying the advertisedtelevision program as recordable. The remainder of the procedure of FIG.4 presumes that the advertised television program is recordable.

Since the program is recordable, the broadcast source encodesinformation about the future television program into the broadcastsignal (step 252), such as the date, time, channel, and duration of theadvertised television program. Additionally, information such as acontent rating, actors and actresses appearing in the program, and abrief summary of the program can be encoded and transmitted along withthe broadcast signal.

Alternatively, the broadcast source encodes a program identifierassociated with the future television program in the broadcast signal.This program identifier replaces the information about the futuretelevision program (such as the date, time, channel, and duration of theprogram). The program identifier (for example, a code) indicates to thereceiver that the future television program can be recorded. Thereceiver is able to interpret the program identifier and determine howto record the future television program.

A receiver (such as receiver 200) receives the advertised televisionprogram, including the encoded information (step 254). The receiverdisplays the advertisement and decodes the information from theadvertised television program and displays a prompt to the viewer. Theprompt asks the viewer if they would like to select the advertisedtelevision program for recording on a video recorder (step 256), such asDVR 204 shown in FIG. 2. The viewer then decides whether they want torecord the advertised program. The viewer indicates whether they want torecord the advertised program using a remote control device or otheruser input mechanism.

If, after a predetermined time period, the viewer does not indicatewhether to record the advertised television program, then the prompt isautomatically removed from the television. For example, a timeout periodof fifteen seconds requires a user to indicate whether the advertisedprogram should be recorded within fifteen seconds. Otherwise, the promptis removed from the television. If the advertisement for the futuretelevision program ends before the timeout period is reached, then theprompt is automatically removed from the television.

If the viewer requests recording of the advertised program, then thereceiver automatically programs the video recorder to record theadvertised program at the appropriate day and time (step 260). Thus, theviewer is not required to remember the date or time of the advertisedprogram because the receiver handles the programming of the videorecorder. The video recorder is programmed using the date, time,channel, and duration information decoded from the television broadcastsignal. The appropriate sequence of programming commands is generatedand communicated to the video recorder. The actual programming commandsmay vary depending on the set of commands supported by the videorecorder. After the video recorder is programmed, the prompt is removedfrom the television (step 262). In particular embodiments, the receivergenerates and displays a confirmation to the viewer indicating that theadvertised program will be recorded. If the viewer requests not torecord the advertised program, then the prompt is removed from thetelevision and the video recorder is not programmed.

The various information encoded in the broadcast signal regarding theadvertised program may be contained in a template. For example, atemplate may include a title field, a description field, a date/timefiled, a channel field, and any other fields necessary to describe theadvertised television program. The template may also contain informationindicating whether the viewer should be offered the option of recordingthe advertised program or setting a reminder associated with theadvertised program.

In a particular embodiment, the broadcaster of the advertised televisionprogram may designate a particular program to be recorded automaticallyif the receiver (or a video recorder coupled to the receiver) hassufficient storage space to record the program. Additionally, the viewermay select certain television programs or “program types” that arealways recorded (without prompting) if sufficient storage space isavailable. A program type may indicate, for example, a program title,program subject matter, or other program characteristic. For example, aprogram type may be any program having a subject matter relating tomotorcycle racing. In another example, the program type is any programwith a title “The Great Outdoors”. If an advertised television programis designated to be recorded automatically, the system will not displaya prompt asking the viewer if they would like to record the program.Instead, the video recorder is automatically programmed to record thetelevision program if adequate storage space is available.

If a particular advertised television program is designated to beautomatically recorded, but storage space is not sufficient to recordthe program, the television receiving system may delete programs fromthe video recorder. For example, the television receiving system mayautomatically delete recorded programs that have already been viewed orspeculatively recorded programs. Speculatively recorded programs areprograms that the viewer did not specifically request to record, but arelikely to be of interest to the viewer based on the viewing habits orviewing preferences of the viewer. For example, a viewer may regularlywatch movies starring a particular actor. A movie starring theparticular actor may be automatically recorded based on the likelihood(or speculation) that the viewer would like to watch the movie.

The broadcaster of an advertised television program may associate apriority with each advertisement. A high priority program has a greaterlikelihood of being recorded than a low priority program. For example, ahigh priority program may cause the deletion of previously recordedprograms from the video recorder to release storage space to record thehigh priority program. In contrast, a low priority program may not berecorded unless the video recorder has a significant amount of freestorage space. The advertiser of the television program may paydifferent rates for each program that is recorded. For example, theadvertiser pays a higher rate for each high priority program that isrecorded and a lower rate for each low priority program that isrecorded.

FIG. 5A illustrates an advertisement for a television program before andafter a prompt is displayed to the television viewer. A first image 270illustrates an advertised television program without the display of aprompt. A second image 272 illustrates the same advertised program witha prompt asking the viewer if they would like to record the advertisedprogram. The viewer selects “Yes” or “No” using a remote control deviceor other input mechanism. The location of the prompt on the televisionscreen may be adjusted depending on the advertisement. Typically, thelocation of the prompt is determined by editors or creators of theadvertisement. The location of the prompt may be selected to minimizethe obstruction of important parts of the advertised program.

In the example of FIG. 5A, the bottom of the screen provides anunobstructed area to display the prompt. In other embodiments, theprompt may be displayed in another location of the screen that allowsthe viewer to easily read and respond to the prompt. Although not shownin FIG. 5A, additional information about the advertised program can bedisplayed along with the prompt. This additional information includes,for example, the title of the advertised program and a brief summary ofthe program. In one embodiment, information about the advertisedtelevision program as well as an indicator that the advertised programis available for recording is broadcast as part of the television signalusing the Advanced Television Enhancement Forum (ATVEF) specificationversion 1.1 (draft version) or any subsequent versions of thespecification.

In another embodiment, the viewer of an advertised program can set areminder associated with the advertised program. The procedure forsetting a reminder is similar to the procedure discussed above withrespect to FIG. 4 for selecting to record the advertised program.Setting a reminder causes a notification to be displayed on thetelevision (or other display device) at a predetermined time before thestart of the associated television program. For example, a remindernotification can be displayed five minutes before the start of theassociated program. Thus, instead of recording the advertised televisionprogram, the viewer is provided with a reminder notification shortlybefore the program is scheduled to be broadcast. This remindernotification eliminates the need for the viewer to remember the date,time, and channel of the advertised program. If the viewer is watching aprogram on a different channel, the reminder notification will remindthe viewer to change channels prior to the start of the advertisedprogram. When the reminder notification is displayed, the viewer mayalso be given the opportunity to record the program. This isparticularly useful if the viewer is in the middle of watching anothertelevision program, but also wants to watch the program identified inthe reminder notification.

In a particular embodiment, information associated with the remindernotification is stored in a receiver, such as receiver 200. In alternateembodiments, the reminder notification provides an option toautomatically switch to the appropriate channel at the start of theadvertised program. In one embodiment, an indicator that a reminder canbe set for the advertised program is broadcast as part of the televisionsignal using the ATVEF specification version 1.1 (draft version) or anysubsequent versions of the specification.

In a particular embodiment, the viewer of an advertised program isoffered the option of either setting a reminder associated with theadvertised program or recording the advertised program on a videorecorder. If the viewer selects a reminder, then a reminder operation isprogrammed in the receiver. If the viewer selects to record theadvertised program, then a record operation is programmed on the videorecorder.

FIG. 5B illustrates an advertisement for a television program with analternate prompt. An image 274 illustrates the same advertised programas image 270 in FIG. 5A, but includes a prompt (or icon) 276 in theupper-left corner of the image. The prompt 276 provides a less obtrusiveindicator to the viewer that the advertised program is available forrecording. The “r” in the prompt 276 indicates that recording isavailable, while other letters in a similar prompt may indicate otherfeatures or interactive modes. If the viewer wants to record theadvertised program, they activate an appropriate button on a remotecontrol or similar input device. For example the remote control mayinclude a button that matches the design of prompt 276.

In another embodiment of the invention, the television receiving system108 (FIG. 1) is used to access one or more web pages on a server coupledto the Internet. As the user of system 108 is viewing a web page, anadvertisement for a future television program (such as a banner ad) isdisplayed on the web page. The program advertisement includes a prompt(such as a button or the prompt 276 shown in FIG. 5B) to indicate thatthe advertised program is available for recording. If the user selectsthe prompt (for example, by activating a mouse button while a pointer orcursor is located over the prompt), the video recorder is automaticallyprogrammed to record the advertised program. Information about theadvertised program (time, date, etc.) may be encoded in theadvertisement or retrieved from a web page associated with theadvertised program.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a procedure for pausing atelevision program. A receiver receives an displays a television programbroadcast by a television broadcast source (step 280). During thebroadcast of an advertisement (e.g., a commercial), an interactivesession is offered to the viewer. For example, this interactive sessionmay provide an opportunity for the viewer to request additionalinformation about an advertised product or service. An interactivesession allows the television viewer to provide data to a televisionbroadcast source. Two separate communication links are typically used tosupport the interactive session. A first communication link allows theviewer to receive information from a television broadcast source. Asecond communication link (such as a data communication network) allowsthe viewer to transmit information to the broadcast source or some otherdata recipient.

Still referring to FIG. 6, the television viewer begins an interactivesession during an advertisement at step 282. If the interactive sessionis still in progress when the advertisement is finished, then thetelevision program is paused by recording the television program on avideo recorder (step 286). In a particular embodiment, the videorecorder is a DVR or similar device that can read from and write to anyportion of the disk drive in a random manner. If the interactive sessionis complete when the advertisement is finished, then the televisionprogram is displayed without any pause.

When the interactive session is finished, the receiver continuesrecording the television program using the video recorder and beginsplaying back the recorded program (step 290). At the end of thetelevision program, the receiver stops recording the television programon the video recorder, but continues playing back the recorded program(step 294). When playback of the recorded program finishes, the recordedprogram can be saved on the video recorder for later viewing or erasedto release storage space on the video recorder.

The following situation provides an example of the procedure illustratedin FIG. 6. A television viewer is watching a movie that is beingbroadcast from a television broadcast source. Several commercials arebroadcast during the movie. The viewer is interested in a particularcommercial that is advertising a new type of car. The viewer initiatesan interactive session to request additional information about the car.During the interactive session, the viewer is asked to provide a nameand mailing address to send a product brochure. The viewer may also beasked to provide additional information such as their age, occupation,and what feature of the car attracted their attention. The commercialmay end (and the movie resumes) before the viewer can enter all of therequested information. Instead of requiring the viewer to either abandonentry of the requested information or miss a portion of the movie, thereceiver automatically pauses the television by recording the movie on avideo recorder. After the viewer has entered all of the requestedinformation and the interactive session is closed, the saved movieautomatically begins playing form the video recorder. Thus, the vieweris able to complete the interactive session without missing any part ofthe movie.

Thus, a system has been described that allows the viewer of anadvertisement for a future television program to automatically program avideo recorder to record the advertised program. Additionally, theviewer can set a reminder associated with the advertised program. Thedescribed system also automatically pauses a television program, ifnecessary, to allow a viewer to finish entering data during aninteractive session.

Although the invention has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological steps, it is to be understoodthat the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarilylimited to the specific features or steps described. Rather, thespecific features and steps are disclosed as preferred forms ofimplementing the claimed invention.

1. A method of pausing a current television program, the methodcomprising: offering to establish an interactive session with a viewerof the current television program during a television advertisement; ifthe viewer of the current television program establishes an interactivesession and has not completed the interactive session when thetelevision advertisement ends, then: preventing display of the currenttelevision program; recording the current television program; andplaying the recorded television program when the viewer of the currenttelevision program completes the interactive session.
 2. A method asrecited in claim 1 further including continuing to record the remainderof the current television program while playing the recorded televisionprogram.
 3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the currenttelevision program is recorded on a video recorder.
 4. A method asrecited in claim 1 wherein the video recorder includes a storage mediumto store data, and wherein the video recorder is capable of reading fromand writing to the storage medium in a random manner.
 5. A method asrecited in claim 1 wherein the current television program is pausedwithout requiring any action by the viewer.
 6. One or morecomputer-readable memories containing a computer program that isexecutable by a processor to perform the method recited in claim 1.